Look for retired county health care official Gwen Myers to file any time for the District 5 Hillsborough County commission seat being vacated in 2020 by term-limited Commissioner Les Miller.

Myers may be the first of a crowded field for the open seat and won't be alone for long. Term-limited Tampa City Council member Frank Reddick said he intends to file soon after year's end.

"With an open seat you can expect other individuals to run, but I'm in it to win," Myers said.

Former commissioner and City Council member Tom Scott and former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner have been subjects of speculation about the race. Scott said he's been asked about it, and, "At this point I have no desire, but you never say never."

Joyner says she's uncertain about any political future but has said she's more likely to be interested in trying again for her former state Senate seat, currently held by Darryl Rouson.

Myers, 64, worked for the county for 25 years until retiring at the end of 2013.

She has since started a consulting firm to advise non-profits but said illness in her family has prevented her from pushing the business forward.

She was involved in the All for Transportation referendum campaign and is on several local non-profit boards and the Mayor's African-American Advisory Council. She's active in feeding the homeless- and the Martin Luther King Foundation's annual scholarship gala.

Miller, 67, a former state senator, said his plan is to retire when he leaves the board in January 2021.

"I will have been an elected public servant for many years and I think I've done a pretty good job," he said. "I feel it's time to turn it over to someone else.

"Having said that, the good Lord could tap me on the shoulder for something," Miller added.

Tampa Bay Rays 2020 co-founder Ron Christaldi put some details Friday behind his confidence that the Tampa Bay Rays will get a new home in Ybor City - $16 million of them.

That's the amount of new corporate support pledged for a ball park north of Adamo Drive in the Latin district, Christaldi said at a meeting held in the J.C Newman Cigar Co., an historic Ybor-area cigar factory.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," said Christaldi, who said his group hasn't reached out to many possible sources of private money.

Earlier in the week, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told the Tampa Bay Times that he thought the zone would play a significant role in any financing package.

"This is only a value-add to those discussions," Buckhorn said.

At the meeting, Christaldi released a poll done by the Tarrance Group, an Alexandria, V.A. polling company that recently asked 500 Hillsborough residents if they support the Rays' plan to relocate across Tampa Bay in time for the opening pitch in 2023. Seventy percent said yes, though they weren't asked about public financing. The margin of error was 4.5 percent.

Although he sounded notes of optimism throughout the hour-long presentation, Christaldi emphasized that Tampa's window of opportunity won't last forever.

"Timing is of the essence," he said.

Notably absent from the meeting was Chuck Sykes, the Tampa business magnate who is co-heading the group. Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and Buckhorn didn't show up, either.

Hagan didn't respond to a request for comment.

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has played his political cards close to his vest on what he may ask the team to do if they miss the Dec. 31 deadline outlined in an agreement between the Sunshine City and the Rays. The agreement leaves no wiggle room for any missed deadlines.

Christaldi also announced five subcommittees to help push forward the plan to bring the Rays to Tampa. A deadline on the team's agreement with St. Petersburg to look in Hillsborough expires just before the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve.

The military, hospitality, legal and development communities are now represented by organized structures, as are professional athletes, headed by a former minor league player for the New York Yankees, Carlton Fleming.

Other committee leaders include Chip Diehl, the former commander at MacDill Air Force Base, Eric Page, a partner at the Shutts and Bowen law firm, attorney John Dicks, Jim Sullivan, vice president of Scratch Concepts, Katie Gower, business development director at Ed Taylor Construction and Jeff Cathey, senior military affairs executive at Bank of America.

Tampa City Council member Harry Cohen, an eight-year veteran of City Council, is known for his attention to detail on even the smallest zoning matter.

But in his run to replace term-limited Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Cohen is leaving the small-ball approach aside-at least for transportation, an issue for which he's become an increasingly vocal advocate.

On Thursday, Cohen released a big-picture white paper on transportation that shoots for the stars-largely on fuel provided by- $30 million per yer fueled from the one-penny transit tax approved by voters on Nov. 6.

The three-page plan, which debuted at a private fundraiser Wednesday, will be up on Cohen's campaign website later today.

Next, and perhaps first (Cohen emphasizes his plan is visionary, not a FY2020 budget document), would be acquiring right-of-way beside the Leroy Selmon Expressway as well as the CSX line that bisects the city to build a pedestrian, running and bike trail that he hopes will alleviate the bitter fights over Complete Streets being waged on Bay to Bay Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard in recent months.

Much of the cost could be paid with the approximately $30 million a year that the city expects to receive from its share of the citizen initiative to raise the sales tax by a penny, he said.

But maintenance of existing roads, streets and sidewalks is also a priority, he said.

"These are taxpayer dollars, we're gong to spend them responsibly," he said Thursday morning.

Cohen said it's time for the city take bold steps to alleviate increasing gridlock and absorb the massive growth in Channelside, New Tampa and other areas.

But he stressed that his vision would improve transportation all over the city, pointing to a CSX line that runs through East Tampa.

Downtown needs a quick connector to the University of South Florida, he said, leaving out the neighborhoods in between would be "crazy," he said.

If he's elected, Cohen, a long-time member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, would use that experience to guide his transportation thinking: safety, economic development, conservation, connectivity, land-use and anticipated growth planning coordination.

"I've been giving these matters a long of thought. It's not an effort that happened overnight," Cohen said.

Cohen is facing City Council colleague Mike Suarez, former county commissioner Ed Turanchik, former Tampa police chief Jane Castor, retired banker and philanthropist David Straz Jr., branding consultant Topher Morrison and community activist LaVaughn King for the March 5 election.

But more candidates might emerge before the filing period ends January 18.

The issue will likely dominate the next forum on Dec. 11 hosted by Walk Bike Tampa, a local non-profit group that advocates for safer streets and better transit options. The 6 p.m. forum will be held at- Sparkman Wharf in the new Water Street development, 615 Channelside Dr.

CLEARWATER-- Vice Mayor Doreen Caudell resigned in the middle of Thursday's City Council meeting, saying her general contracting business needs her full attention.

Then she thanked her colleagues and walked out of chambers.

"Me and my husband and our amazing family have made a decision that we have been discussing for some time," Caudell read from a written statement. "After 18 years of owning and operating our commercial general contracting company D-Mar, it has been with great success and seeing much growth and expansion that we decided it needs my 100 percent, full-time attention."

After she left, City Attorney Pam Akin noted that she did not hear Caudell say the words "I hereby resign." That resignation would not be official until she submitted it in writing, the attorney said. Caudell said she'll submit such a letter this month.

Akin instructed the remaining four Council members they had 60 days to appoint someone to complete Caudell's term, which ends in March 2020, otherwise the city must hold a special election.

"Needless to say we are all shocked by that announcement," Mayor George Cretekos said.

City Manager Bill Horne later said he had no idea the resignation was coming.

Caudell did not respond to requests for comment Thursday evening.

Her apparent resignation comes two days after she apologized to Council member Hoyt Hamilton for an Election Day letter to the editor in the Tampa Bay Times where she expressed support for the strong mayor referendum and questioned her colleagues' passion.

"I expected my fellow council members to share this passion for learning our strengths and weaknesses, but unfortunately they don't," Caudell wrote.

Hamilton confronted Caudell at Tuesday's work session, stating the letter questioned his commitment and passion for the city. In response, Caudell falsely suggested the Times had misquoted the comment in the letter to the editor she submitted.

The Times, in fact, did not misquote Caudell and published the statement verbatim as she submitted it.

Caudell was a vocal proponent of the strong mayor referendum, which failed on Nov. 6. About 59 percent voted against the change, which would have eliminated the city manager position, a professional appointed by elected officials to implement policy of the five-member council. Daily management power would have been given to the elected mayor, who would not have been a voting member of the council.

The initiative to change the form of government Clearwater has had for nearly 100 years was brought up in April by a group of downtown business advocates associated with the Clearwater Downtown Partnership.

Caudell was first elected to the Council in 2012 and was serving her second term. In June 2017 she announced she would run as a Republican for Pinellas County Commission District 2 against Democrat Pat Gerard in the Nov. 6 election. But Caudell announced in May she was dropping out of the County Commission race "to dedicate my full time and attention to continuing to passionately represent Clearwater and its citizens."

However in her comments before walking out Thursday, Caudell said she dropped out of the County Commission race for the same reason she is leaving the Council - to focus on her business.

The Council on Thursday expressed a sense of urgency in appointing a replacement within 60 days who can finish Caudell's term but who will also commit to not run for the seat in March 2020. The Council will also have to appoint a replacement to fill Caudell's seat on Forward Pinellas, the county's land use and transportation planning agency.

Caudell also serves on the- Tampa Bay Transportation Management Area Leadership Group and a Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority committee.

"It was wonderful working with all of you," Caudell said Thursday. "I've given 110 percent during the 12 years I've served this community."

]]>https://www.tampabay.com/pasco/regional-climate-change-coalition-has-one-holdout-pasco-county-20181116/
{7AB68C3A-456A-2F07-E053-0100007FFA31}Pubdate:Thu, 15 Nov 2018 19:50:18 -0500When officials from 24 cities and counties met in St. Petersburg on Oct. 8 to form a regional coalition dedicated to addressingclimate change and sea level rise, there was one Tampa Bay county government missing.

Pasco did not join the pact with Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, Citrus and Manatee counties - but not because the Pasco County Commission voted against it.

Commissioner Jack Mariano is Pasco's representative on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the organization that began forming the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition earlier this year. But Mariano, a Republican, declined to even pass along the coalition resolution to his commission colleagues for discussion because he said he does not believe in two words central to the document: climate change.

Despite globally embraced evidence that Earth is warming, and that the primary cause is human activity, Mariano said he rejects that science.

"If the earth is getting warmer, it's a natural cycle of it," Mariano said, contradicting findings of top federal scientists in the National Climate Assessment report that said natural cycles cannot account for the extent of warming during the past century and that human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels, is to blame. "I think the overwhelming change of the climate, humans have a minuscule amount of effect."

Any commissioner can bring a topic up for discussion at a public meeting. But Pasco County spokeswoman Tambrey Laine said staff recommended only Mariano present the Resiliency Coalition resolution, which he has had since June, because he serves on the Regional Planning Council and has the background information.

Laine said county staff is working with the Regional Planning Council on an alternate resolution for Pasco to consider that does not include the words-&quot;climate change" but still represents the Coalition's mission of resiliency.

Regardless of Mariano's view on climate change, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, also a Republican, said the decision on whether to join to the Coalition, or whether to remove "climate change" from the resolution, should have been a decision made by the body.

"We commissioners are appointed to boards and we represent the county, we don't represent ourselves," Starkey said. "It's important for commissioners to bring back to the commission the hot topics that are being discussed on those boards. I believe it's a commission decision, not a commissioner decision."

Commissioners Ron Oakley and Mike Wells could not be reached. Commissioner Mike Moore declined to comment.

The Regional Planning Council's work on the Resiliency Coalition began in January and was modeled on the South Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, formed in 2010 by Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties with 35 local governments.

Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long, one of the Coalition's main architects, said the governments will collaborate on best practices for raising sea walls, addressing flooding, revising building codes and other ways to mitigate and respond to sea level rise and climate change.

An insurance industry group has ranked the Tampa Bay region as the most vulnerable metropolitan area in the United States to storm surge, and a 2014 federal report labeled the Tampa Bay area as one of three areas in Florida particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.

NASA reported 2017 as the second warmest year since record keeping began in 1880. Warming temperatures are shown to cause saltwater to expand and ice sheets to melt, resulting in rising sea levels. Scientists who wrote the National Climate Assessment report, approved by the White House in 2017, stated there is "no convincing alternative explanation" that anything but man's burning of fossil fuels and destruction of natural vegetation is the cause.

"We are positioned on the global stage to address this," Long said.-&quot;I'm worried about what kind of environment, what kind of quality of life, we are leaving behind for our little ones."

But the Resiliency Coalition agreed to not to take a position on what is causing climate change-&quot;to avoid the political debate" and focus fully on resiliency, said Regional Planning Council executive director Sean Sullivan.

In signing the three-page resolution, governments agreed to-&quot;coordinate climate adaptation and mitigation activities across county lines," promote responses to economic disruption caused by sea level rise and to identify vulnerabilities to climate change.

They agreed to make "science based decisions" and acknowledge the Tampa Bay region is "vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate."

The planning council developed models based on a worst-case scenario data that Tampa Bay could experience 2.95 feet of sea level rise by 2060. In that case, the area could lose $241 million in residential property and $2.5 billion in tourism spending with the loss of beaches, hotels and restaurants.

Mariano said he believes in working collaboratively to prepare for disasters but doubts the planning council's sea level rise projections, which were based on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data.

"I question how accurate the numbers are that we were being shown," Mariano said. "Do I think we should prepare? Absolutely."

Sullivan said he is confident he and Pasco staff can draft an alternate resolution that does not include the words-&quot;climate change" for Mariano to present to the commission. Sullivan, who said he believes science indicating human activity is driving climate change, said the end goal is preparedness, no matter what path it takes to get there.

"Fundamentally, I don't think it changes the intent," Sullivan said.-&quot;The focus is primarily on resiliency and how we get there. There may be some regions that feel differently than others, and that's okay."

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{7AB78F43-4919-2FDC-E053-0100007FB875}Pubdate:Thu, 15 Nov 2018 14:49:29 -0500TAMPA - They won't be here in time for Gasparilla but come February, Tampa is likely to see scooters motoring alongside pedestrians and baby carriages on city sidewalks.

You won't be able to cruise on the Riverwalk or Bayshore Boulevard or East 7th Avenue in Ybor City, but a proposed ordinance would allow scooters on the sidewalks south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Armenia Avenue and 40th Street, a 12-square mile area.

Think South Howard Avenue on a Friday night. Now, add scooters.

On Thursday, City Council members signed off on an attempt to rein in the chaos that has afflicted other cities since rental scooters became the next hip thing in urban transportation.

The city isn't going to pay for scooters. In fact, three lucky companies will pay the city for a year to operate in its boundaries. A $20,000 administrative fee and $1 per day per scooter is likely to be the asking price. At 1,800 scooters, the discussed number, that's $657,000 a year into municipal coffers.

The city received 12 bids on Friday and will pick the three winners within 30 days, said Jean Duncan, the city's transportation and stormwater director.

The companies would also bear the risk and costs of accidents and injuries.

And it's that vision of broken limbs or worse and the ensuing public outcry that occupied council members' interest.

Council member Charlie Miranda said he was concerned about scooter riders running people down on the city's sidewalks. Current law prohibits them from operating on the street, although council member Mike Suarez suggested lobbying the state to allow them to be used in bike lanes.

Duncan said the scooters wouldn't be able to go faster than 8 mph. Miranda said that could still do damage.

"You hit somebody and they hit their head on the sidewalk, then it's bye-bye," he said.

Other council members said scooters, also on the radar in St. Petersburg, represent the next step in transit.

Luis Viera, a council member who is also an attorney, said he could see young lawyers hopping on scooters to get from law office to courthouse.

The council's lone Millennial, Guido Maniscalco, took a test ride on a scooter and warned that not paying attention could result in injury. But he said his concerns were calmed when city officials said they could terminate the pilot program without penalty.

"Having that caveat put in there, that we can stop this if it does get out of control, makes me comfortable," Maniscalco said.

Plenty of potential pitfalls have been identified. Other cities have seen scooters dropped all over streets and yards. Tampa is trying to craft a program that rewards vendors for making their customers want to drop the scooters off at a corral (think Coast Bike Share) when they're done rolling around.

"We do not want those bad headlines that other cities have had," Duncan said.

Electric scooters have popped up in dozens of cities across the country. They often cost as little as $1 to start riding and then 15 cents for each minute after. All users have to do is download an app, enter a credit card and scan a bar code to unlock the scooter.

San Francisco and Santa Monica, Calif. were ground zero for the scooter craze and the backlash. Companies have dumped scooters in cities before asking for official permission, ruffling municipal feathers. By putting out a bid and setting some ground rules, Duncan said, the city hopes to avoid that kind of free-for-all.

But no amount of rule-making will eliminate the possibility of some mayhem, Suarez said.

TAMPA : Mayor Bob Buckhorn today named veteran Democratic state lawmaker Arthenia Joyner as his pick for a citizens committee that will oversee spending of Hillsborough County's new transportation sales tax.

Joyner was Tampa's first black female lawyer and a prominent civil rights activist. She served in the state House and Senate from 2000 until her 2016 Senate term limit.

"I'm thrilled to appoint former Sen. Arthenia Joyner to the oversight committee being formed following the passage of the recent All for Transportation Referendum," said Buckhorn in a statement. "Throughout her time in the Florida legislature Senator Joyner proved to be a tireless fiscal steward for our community while being laser focused on fighting for the needs of Tampanians, not only in her district but across the region. I trust that she will continue to provide that same focus as she ensures these new funds are appropriately allocated."

Voters on Nov. 6 approved the 30-year penny on the dollar sales tax will raise about $280 million in its first year.

Under the charter, 54 percent goes to Hillsborough County, Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace for spending on roads, sidewalks and trails.

Most of the rest goes to the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit authority for expansion of buses and other transit.

The oversight committee is authorized to ensure that proposed spending plans meet that criteria with a straight up or down vote.

If two-thirds of the committee find that an agency is not following the charter, it can instruct the clerk of the court to withhold sales taxes.

Other members of the 13-member committee are expected to be named in the next few months by Hillsborough County commissioners, the mayors of Temple Terrace and Plant City, the governing board of HART and Tampa City Council.

The committee will also include a land use or real estate expert selected by the property appraiser, a certified public accountant appointed by the county tax collector, and a Florida Bar-certified attorney picked by the clerk of the court.

Members would serve three-year terms in the unpaid position. Elected officials cannot be appointed nor can anyone who would benefit from approval of projects.

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{7AA28A5C-933B-4102-E053-0100007F2AD2}Pubdate:Wed, 14 Nov 2018 10:24:36 -0500CLEARWATER - Residents this month overwhelmingly voted against changing the city government to give the mayor more power, but the campaign is still feeding a rift within this City Council that has rarely played out so publicly before.

In a letter to the editor in the Tampa Bay Times published on Election Day, Vice Mayor Doreen Caudell encouraged voters to support the strong mayor referendum, and in one sentence, took to task her colleagues who saw it differently.

"I expected my fellow council members to share this passion for learning our strengths and weaknesses, but unfortunately they don't," Caudell wrote.

At the first public meeting since the election, council member Hoyt Hamilton on Tuesday said Caudell owed the council an apology for the jab, laying bare a tension between the elected officials that has not been so blatantly acknowledged before on the dais.

"You're questioning my commitment and my passion for the city of Clearwater," Hamilton said.-&quot;I have sat in this seat for four years longer than you have, and I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't committed and passionate about what I'm doing."

Caudell apologized but did so while wondering out loud if the Times misquoted her in her own letter to the editor.

"There is a little different way that I see a vision and plan than you see a vision and plan," Caudell responded.-&quot;Perhaps that was misquoted in the paper. And if I hurt your feelings, I'm terribly sorry I hurt your feelings."

The sentence Hamilton took issue with was actually published verbatim as Caudell submitted it to the Times.

In encouraging council members to move forward on Tuesday, Caudell said they-&quot;represent the citizens of Clearwater, all 116,000 of them, and actually it would have been nice if all of them would have went out and voted."

But all of them cannot vote. There are 75,161 registered voters in Clearwater, according to the Supervisor of Elections. The vote on the referendum had a 57 percent turnout.

The initiative to change the form of government Clearwater has had for nearly 100 years was brought up in April by a group of downtown business advocates associated with the Clearwater Downtown Partnership. The change would have eliminated the city manager position, a professional appointed by elected officials to implement policy of the five-member council. Daily management power would have been given to the elected mayor, who would not have been a voting member of the council.

Residents rejected the referendum on Nov. 6 with nearly 59 percent of 43,128 total votes cast.

But the campaign leading up to the vote divided the council, with Mayor George Cretekos and Hamilton vocally against the referendum and Caudell and Council member David Allbritton strong advocates. Council member Bob Cundiff supported putting the referendum to voters but declined to take a position.

After Hamilton criticized Caudell's letter on Tuesday, Cretekos, Cundiff and Allbritton did not publicly do the same.

"This has been a very difficult time for each one of us, and also for our city employees and our community," Cretekos said instead. "I do hope that we are bigger than that and Clearwater will continue to be bright and beautiful from the bay to the beach."

Cundiff said in a later interview that Caudell-&quot;does not owe me an apology, even though I think (her letter) was ill chosen words." Allbritton said later that he was not offended by Caudell's comment but called it unfortunate.

City Manager Bill Horne acknowledged public confrontations between council members have been rare in his 18-year tenure. There's the occasional bickering between Cretekos and Caudell. Cretekos was also known to snap at former Council member Bill Jonson on the dais, but it was more awkward than combative. And there was the fiery debate between then-Mayor Frank Hibbard and then-council member Paul Gibson in 2007 over a boat slip project, where fingers were pointed and voices were raised to the point that left some fearing a fight was about to break out, according to a Times report.

But rifts between elected officials in Clearwater have been noticeably absent compared to tension common in other governments.

This campaign has been different.

"In this particular case, the stress and the strain on the council is showing as the buildup to the referendum, the decision we had, and now we're on the back side of it," Horne said. "It will take a little longer for civility to completely return."

Remember 2003, when Pam Iorio jumped into what looked like a settled field of candidates for Tampa mayor and upset the apple cart?

Lots of people do, and some think it could happen again.

Speculation about who could play the disruptor centers on businessman and former Tampa Chamber of Commerce Chairman Mike Griffin and former state Rep. Ed Narain.

Griffin previously thought about a mayor's race but put it off to finish his chamber term and a stint on the port board, plus other civic projects.

They're winding down now.

"I still believe the mayoral field isn't set yet," he said last week. "A lot of people are analyzing city precincts to understand where the city voters are and where they could be next spring."

Griffin's advantage would be business support.

His disadvantage could be that he's a Republican - though not with a highly partisan reputation - in the heavily Democratic city. Hence his interest in analyzing Nov. 6 results.

"I don't think the city wants partisan politics," he said.

Narain, whose popularity in the black community makes him a subject of speculation for almost any office that comes open, isn't commenting on his political future, but insiders say not to count him out.

Could either play Iorio in 2019?

"Few and rare people have the gravitas that Pam Iorio had," said political insider Todd Pressman, speaking of Iorio's jump into the 2003 race. But he added, "It's 2019 politics with a volatile electorate, and anything and everything can happen."

The large field, with half a dozen well-known candidates, means anyone with a solid core of support, like Griffin's business backing or Narain's support in the black community, could have a shot at making the runoff.

Before the vote, Ed Turanchik was highly critical of the one-penny sales tax increase to fund transportation improvements that passed overwhelmingly on Tuesday.

The former Hillsborough County Commissioner and current Tampa mayoral candidate was the only candidate who didn't raise his hand when a moderator asked who supported the All For Transportation initiative at an early October forum.

But on Wednesday morning, Turanchik applauded the initiative's success."Hillsborough County voters made a GIANT step in a new and exciting direction yesterday. They decided to invest in transportation and schools by a big margin," read his message on his Facebook page and Twitter account.

Is Turanchik doing a post-election two-step?

"Ya think?," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn mayor tweeted after an initial version of this story posted online.

Turanchik confirmed he voted against the tax, but initially didn't want to go into the details of his decision.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I didn't think it was an appropriate way," Turanchik said. "Just a variety of reasons."

"Will it affect my mayor's race? It doesn't even matter to me. It's just about good government," he said.

The voters, he said, have spoken.

"It boiled down to this: I was not wiling to trust unnamed future politicians of spending $15 billion well. But I do trust the voter's judgement. Now it's up to us to say if that trust was worth it," Turanchik said.

Turanchik said his pre-Nov. 6 stance might not have been properly interpreted.

"I never urged people to vote against it. I never said I was opposed to it," Turanchik said. "I know that seems nuanced but that's always how I viewed it."

His stance was interpreted by opponents of the tax as supportive of their cause. No Tax For Tracks, a group opposed to the initiative, used his photo with a forum quote criticizing the plan in mailers it sent to voters.

Future debates in the mayor's race should focus on how to wisely spend the money, Turanchik said.

"I think the mayor's race shifts over to what are you going to do? We'll be swimming in the deep end of the pool where I've been swimming for 30 years. So, welcome," he said.

Tyler Hudson, All For Transportation's chairman, declined comment Thursday. His group's initiative won in every Tampa precinct Tuesday night and netted 57 percent of the vote countywide.

Turanchik's opponents in the March 5 election all supported the tax increase.

"He was not a full-throated or even a half-throated advocate for that tax," said council member Mike Suarez of Turanchik.

Harry Cohen was "perplexed" how a candidate for the mayor of Florida's third-largest city could be so critical of the transit tax considering the gridlock facing the city: "That never made sense to me."

Jane Castor said Turanchik was against tax until it passed: "It is always easy to jump on the bandwagon of success after the fact."

Other candidates had milder reactions.

David Straz Jr.'s campaign emphasized their candidate's support for the tax, but didn't criticize Turanchik.

Topher Morrison said "people have a right to change their mind." LaVaughn King didn't return a call for comment.

TAMPA : When Republicans overturned a Democratic majority on the Hillsborough County Commission in 2004, conservatives looked to have a long-term lock on the county.

Commissioners like Ronda Storms-drew strong support from rural parts of Hillsborough by touting their conservative and Christian principles. A controversial ban on the county promoting or taking part in any gay pride events soon followed.

Fast forward to Tuesday's midterms and Hillsborough is barely recognizable as the same county.

Voters not only elected their first majority Democrat commission but also the first majority female board since 2004. And the county that overwhelmingly rejected a transit referendum in 2010 enthusiastically backed not one, but two new taxes for schools and transportation.

Once considered a bellwether county, pundits say Hillsborough is now firmly blue.- The shift is the result of a burgeoning young population in urban areas like downtown Tampa and Seminole Heights, and the spread of suburbs into once Republican strongholds in the east and south of the county.

"We're living in a Democratic county," said Republican political consultant Anthony Pedicini, whose two commission candidates, Republican Todd Marks and Commissioner Victor Crist, both lost heavily in countywide races. "Unless your name is Sheriff Chad Chronister and you can raise $1.5 million, it's hard to for a Republican to compete countywide."

The shift in Hillsborough's politics was evident up and down the ballot.

And other Republicans, including Commissioner Ken Hagan and U.S House District 15 candidate Ross Spano, only scored narrow victories.

Democrat Adam Hattersley, who snagged a surprising win in eastern Hillsborough County, pointed to Tampa "expanding" eastward and diluting the traditionally conservative rural cast of his district as a contributing factor in his win over Republican- Joe Wicker in the House District 59 race.

"We're finally starting to get a little more urban and a little more blue," Hattersley said.

Democratic Commissioner Les Miller agreed that the county as a whole is definitely trending blue.- Tuesday's election continued a strong showing in races that began in 2016 when the party won all-four countywide races on the general election ballot, with victories for incumbents Bob Henriquez in the property appraiser's race and Clerk of the Court Pat Frank and a surprise victory in the state attorney's race for newcomer Andrew Warren.

More Democratic-leaning minority voters, more engaged millennials and independent voter who are more receptive to his party's message are behind the political shift, Miller said.

Results from Tuesday show that even precincts in rural areas including Riverview, Ruskin, Wimauma and Sun City Center supported the penny on the dollar sales tax for transportation.

And while it was rejected by a few hundred votes in areas like Dover, voters in vote-rich downtown and West Tampa were backing it by margins of two to one.

Commissioners in both parties said the new commission will continue a tradition of working across partisan lines and agreed transportation would be the first priority.

But they differed in what the new majority means for that pivotal issue.

"The commission is generally a very collegial group. We figure out ways to work together," said Commissioner Sandy Murman, a Republican. "I feel good about it. I really do."

Miller agreed that deciding how to spend the windfall of the new penny transportation tax was the first order of business. But elections matter, he said.

"With the Democratic majority, -I believe we can get there. I don't know if we could have gotten there if the Republicans had remained in control," Miller said.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said the success of the school and transportation tax initiatives shouldn't be confused with a political shift to the left.- Functioning roads and schools aren't partisan issues, he said, but quality of life concerns.

"If you're stuck in traffic it doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican," Buckhorn said. "I think people just stopped listening to the trolls."

The term-limited mayor, who has been involved in Hillsborough politics for 35 years, had some apparent advice for newly-elected Democrats Kim Overman and Mariella Smith, although he declined to specify who had "gotten carried away with their election-night rhetoric."

Local government is about filling potholes, fixing roads and other nuts and bolts work.

"If they try to nationalize the job they have, they'll be out of office in four years," Buckhorn said.

It's been the riparian apple of Mayor Bob Buckhorn's eye, so perhaps it's fitting , as the term-limited mayor counts down his final months in office, that Tampa's Riverwalk gets some national love.

The American Planning Association awarded the linear park that runs along both sides of the Hillsborough River its "People's Choice" award as part of its Great American Places contest.

The award is meant to recognize places where a city has helped bring together and support its community. Voting ran for a few weeks in October and November on the organization's website.

Other nominees include well-known landmarks like Detroit's waterfront and the Navy Yards in Washington, D.C. as well as some lesser lights like Uncas Leap Heritage Area in Norwich, Connecticut and the Katy Trail in Missouri.

Buckhorn didn't stint on praise for the park in a statement, thanking the voters.

"I couldn't agree more," said Mayor Bob Buckhorn. "The Riverwalk has transformed Tampa and has become a destination for visitors and residents alike. Whether you're riding your bike, rollerblading or taking a ride on the Pirate Water Taxi, there's something for everyone. Our river has become the focal point of Tampa's urban core and that's made possible by having a promenade that connects all of downtown Tampa's great restaurants, parks, cultural venues and events."

TAMPA : The midterm elections produced a Democratic woman governor for Kansas, an expanded majority in the U.S. Senate, and saw Democrats retake the House.

But speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live! late Tuesday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hailed Hillsborough County voters' approval of a sales tax hike for transportation as the Election Day outcome that most excited him.

The penny on the dollar, 30-year tax tax is to "fix the damn roads, to get some public transportation built,"- Garcetti-said.

"As Washington has this kind of charade about- what politics really is, I think real people want actual things to pass," he told Kimmel. "Bob Buckhorn, who's the mayor of Tampa --amazing guy, and a huge coalition passed that."

Kimmel, who lived in Tampa about a year while working as a radio deejay,- had a quick comeback for the mayor, whose city is notorious for congested roads.

"I wouldn't be rooting for that. If I was you, I'd want traffic in every other city to be worse than L.A.," he said. "There seems to be no way to make that better here."

More than 57 percent of Hillsborough voters approved the transportation plan,-placed-on the ballot by the citizens group All for Transportation.

Its passage comes after two previous Tampa Bay transportation referendums were overwhelmingly rejected by voters in Hillsborough in 2010 and Pinellas in 2014.

The new tax will raise about $276 million per year. Fifty-five percent will go to Hillsborough's four local governments - Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City and Hillsborough County - to spend on road improvements.

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit authority would get the remaining 45 percent of the tax proceeds. Most of that would go toward expanding bus service, while about one-third would be spent on a transit system with its own right-of-way linking the University of South Florida, downtown Tampa and West Shore. The system could be bus rapid transit, light rail or traditional rail using existing CSX tracks.

The 30-year transportation measure will add a penny on the dollar to the sales tax and raise about $276 million per year. Bolstered by a $4 million campaign war chest, the tax passed easily, reversing years of failed efforts by elected leaders and transit advocates to ease congestion on county roads and fund a more robust mass-transit system.

Voters were equally enthusiastic about a 10-year, half-cent sales tax that will provide an injection of funds to Hillsborough County Schools, which needs an estimated $3 billion to fund school construction, repairs and debt repayments. Much of the money will go toward air conditioner replacements and fixing leaky roofs.

"This is extremely humbling," said Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins. "I'm very appreciative of the citizens here in Hillsborough County. They really sent a powerful message to students and teachers that they care."

The results mean the county's sales tax will rise from 7 to 8.5 percent effective Jan. 1. A household with an income that's average for the county, around $55,000, will pay an extra $180 per year in taxes.

The campaign for the transportation tax was led by All for Transportation, a group of transit advocates frustrated at the failure of elected officials to tackle the county's estimated $9 billion backlog in road and transit projects.

That included witnessing the heavy defeat of the Moving Hillsborough Forward referendum in 2010 and a vote by the County Commission to keep the 2016 Go Hillsborough plan off the ballot.

All for Transportation took advantage of a rarely used citizens charter amendment process to take the issue out of elected leaders' hands.

Christina Barker, a leader of the citizens group, credited their success to a plan she said benefited the whole county. Most of the money from the tax will go toward roads, sidewalks and trails.

"This referendum passing and the support we saw in the community should make people rethink what's possible in Tampa Bay," Barker said. "We have done something that is historic. Now it's time to live up to the vision of what we can be."

Billed as a grass roots campaign, All for Transportation gained significant financial support from the business community. The $4 million raised for the campaign far exceeds the $1.5 million collected during the 2010 referendum and the $1 million raised for the 2014 Greenlight Pinellas campaign.

All for Transportation paid $700,000 to a professional petition gathering firm that gathered more than 50,000 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Its-biggest backer was Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.Between personal donations and contributions from companies he is associated with, Vinik gave almost $700,000.

"This is not about one region; this is not about one mode of transit," Vinik said Tuesday night. "The people here have stepped up and decided to sacrifice and invest in the future of our county."

Other backers included philanthropist Frank Morsani, Sykes Enterprises CEO Chuck Sykes and the region's three professional sports franchises.

The group's key message was that Hillsborough faced permanent gridlock without investment in roads and transit. Some 700,000 people are expected to move to the county in the next 30 years.

That message was hammered home in a barrage of mailers, TV advertisements and text messages. It also paid a company to hang flyers on doorknobs.

Opposition initially came from Americans for Prosperity, which for years was bankrolled by oil billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch. The group was credited with helping defeat transit referendums around the country including one in Nashville-earlier this year.

In Early October, Notaxfortracks.com formed a political committee to campaign against the tax. It has raised almost $135,000, including $70,000 in donations from East Hillsborough political activist Sam Rashid.

Leaders of the group claimed the proceeds from the tax would be spent mainly in Tampa and that it did not earmark funding for new roads.

They blasted the group's ties to Vinik, whom they claimed was backing the plan to benefit Water Street Tampa, the downtown real estate venture he is building around Amalie Arena with Cascade Investment, the private capital fund of Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

"We're disappointed in the outcome but we got into this exactly one month out, understanding the challenge of this David vs. Goliath fight," said Karen Jaroch, group chairwoman. "Absentee ballots had already been mailed out and the billionaires bankrolling the campaign would provide our opponents with unlimited funds."

In contrast to the transportation tax, the schools campaign faced little organized opposition.

While other school districts around the state were successful in raising sales and property taxes, Hillsborough leaders worried they lacked credibility at a time when they were digging out of a severe budget imbalance.

They were pushed to action in August by the transportation initiative. The consensus was that, if voters approved that one percent sales surtax, there would be little appetite to approve another half-cent at a later date.

So the two initiatives ended up on the same ballot.

District staff made sure each school was promised at least $500,000 in improvements and created personalized materials for emails, banners and social media.

Eakins committed to a full calendar of school-based town hall meetings, chamber of commerce gatherings and radio interviews.

In those appearances, Eakins made a strong argument that in the decade since the recession began, the state has shortchanged school districts in capital funds. He said he has restored credibility by balancing the district budget, a process that meant eliminating nearly 2,000 jobs over the past three years.

Some audience members were so receptive they asked if they could raise their taxes even more.

Campaigning came from teachers, PTA organizations and the Alliance for Public Schools. In some neighborhoods, parents took children with them as they went door to door seeking support.

The campaign also was helped by nature: September in Tampa was the hottest on record, with widespread breakdowns in school air conditioning systems.

TAMPA - Hillsborough Commissioner Victor Crist, a Republican, appeared to he headed toward defeat with nearly all the vote counted.

The count showed Democrat Mariella Smith with 52 percent of the total, winning by 38,122 votes.

Independent candidate Joe Kotvas is a distant third with just over 2 percent.

The result could be significant for the Democrats. District 5 was one of two countywide seats the party targeted as it looks to win its first majority on the County Commission since 2004.

Crist, 61, is seeking his third term in office and switched from District 2 because of term limits. He raised more than $280,000, with a number of donations from the development industry.

During the campaign, Crist said the county will need his experience managing budgets, especially if voters statewide approve Amendment 1 to the Florida Constitution. The amendment would increase the homestead exemption and leave Hillsborough with about $30 million less in property taxes beginning in 2020.

In her first run at office,- Smith, 64, has raised $172,000. The owner of a graphic design firm, she campaigned on tackling transportation and sprawl, although she refused to take a position on the transportation sales tax initiative.

She was boosted by contributions totaling $38,500 from the Hillsborough County Democratic Committee.

Kotvas, 75, raised just over $11,000 but gained little traction during the campaign. A former police officer and commissioner, he was convicted following a 1983 bribery scandal.

Republican incumbent Chris Sprowls secured his third term in the Florida House by defeating Democrat Sally Laufer on Tuesday night.

Sprowls, 34, beat the 65-year-old political newcomer by taking 59 percent of the vote, winning by 15,414 votes according to unofficial results.

"It's a great honor anytime you get asked to serve and we got to win tonight and we got to win by a large margin," Sprowls said. "The fact that so many people in North Pinellas believe and support us is a great feeling."

Laufer, who won 41 percent with 33,701 votes out of a total of 82,816 votes cast, was hoping to oust Sprowls who is one of Pinellas County's fastest rising politicians.

"I'm feeling great," Laufer said. "Just deciding to run and to be able to get 40 percent, I think we sent a message that there are a lot of people who don't agree with how our state is being run."

Laufer has lived in Palm Harbor for 34 years and is a retired nurse-turned-community activist.

Sprowls' win helps Republicans maintain firm control of the Florida House, which they've controlled since since 1996.

In winning another term, Sprowls remains on pace to become Speaker of the House for the 2021-22 legislative session, a post he secured by lining up support from his fellow Republicans in 2016.

During his campaign, Sprowls said he would work to maintain low taxes, grow the economy and make government more transparent. He said Tuesday night his focus will be on dealing with the workforce and keeping the economy going in Florida.

"We have such a great group of volunteers and supporters here and it feels great to be heading back to Tallahassee and start working hard again for North Pinellas," Sprowls said.

House District 65 covers parts of Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, East Lake and Dunedin. State representatives serve two-year terms and draw an annual salary of $29,697.

TAMPA - With more than 400,000 votes counted, Robin Fuson, Lisa Allen, and Jack Gutman appeared headed to victory Tuesday night in Hillsborough County's judicial races. A fourth race in the Pinellas-Pasco circuit saw Dave Ellis with a decisive win.

Hillsborough Circuit Judge, Group 25Robin Fuson, a longtime criminal defense lawyer, took an early lead over personal attorney Jamey Moody in the county's only circuit judge race. Late Tuesday, he held 55 percent to Moody's 44 percent.Moody, a personal injury lawyer, is the brother of Ashley Moody, the former circuit judge who won the race for attorney general Tuesday night. Their father, James S. Moody Jr., is a federal judge in Tampa, whose own father, the late James S. Moody Sr., was a circuit judge and also served in the state Legislature.The family is well-regarded in their native Plant City. A significant portion of Jamey Moody's more than $200,000 in campaign contributions came from east Hillsborough residents.Fuson, a former professional baseball player, raised about half as much.In August, the candidates finished neck-and-neck in a four-way primary, setting up what turned out to be a negative campaign toward the general election.Most notable was an ad from the Moody campaign that called attention to allegations that Fuson had been fired as a substitute Hillsborough County teacher in 1980 after he allowed students to watch a pornographic film.Fuson said the allegation was false. He said he kept his teaching certificate and subsequently worked as a volunteer baseball coach for the district.Fuson's supporters fired back, spreading word that Moody might have violated campaign rules for judges by touting support from State Sen. Tom Lee. Judicial candidates are prohibited from associating with parties or partisan candidates.

Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge, Group 4Dave Ellis had secured a clear victory over Roxanne Fixsen in the only circuit judge race in Pinellas and Pasco Counties. Ellis led with 59 percent to Fixsen's 40 percent.Ellis ran a campaign that emphasized his 25 years of legal experience, including about 20 years as the owner of a north Pinellas law firm.

Hillsborough County Judge, Group 2Attorney Lisa Allen won by a 10-percentage point margin over the better-funded Greg Green in the race for county judge group 2.Green far outspent his opponent, raising more than $170,000. Allen raised just $31,295.

Group 8Jack Gutman handily defeated E. Michael Isaak in this county judge race. By the end of the night, Gutman held about 61 percent to Isaak's 39 percent.Gutman is an attorney with a broad range of experience in civil and criminal law, in both the private and public sectors.Isaak, an attorney specializing in DUI defense cases, poured more than $140,000 of his own money into his campaign, ultimately topping Gutman's fundraising total by more than a third.

TAMPA - Democrats all but clinched a historic victory Tuesday as two political novices looked likely to defeat better-funded GOP opponents, turning Hillsborough County's most powerful political body blue for the first time since 2004.

The most-watched races were for two countywide seats where Democrats Mariella Smith was on her way to oust Republican incumbent Victor Crist in District 5 and Kimberly Overman looked nearly certain to best Todd Marks in District 7.

"Well, it's about time," Overman said Tuesday night. "Clearly, we needed some balance on the board. It's a little overwhelming and wonderful."

According to unofficial results, with 354 of 390 precincts reporting, Overman was beating Marks by a 53-46 margin while Smith was defeating Crist by a similar spread, 52-45.

Smith and Overman had an edge in political demography. Democrats have 65,443 more registered voters in Hillsborough than Republicans. And a heavy turnout appeared to have furthered their cause.

County Commission candidates struggled to grab voters' attention in an election dominated by national and state races, a challenge made even more difficult in a county in which two separate tax proposals dominated politics in Hillsborough.

In District 5, Crist, 61, was seeking his third term in office, switching from District 2 to avoid term limits. He raised $100,000 more than Smith.

In her first run at office, Smith, 64 raised $172,000. The owner of a graphic design firm, she campaigned on improved transportation, more affordable housing and making developers pay more for new roads and schools.

"This lets us come in with a mandate to do the things we've been talking about for a year," Smith said.

Crist said he was looking forward to retirement and spending more time with his 6-year-old daughter.

"I don't see this as a blue wave," he said. "I see this as a sign from independents and non-partisan voters that they're not happy with the local Republican Party."

In District 7, Overman, the 60-year-old owner of a financial planning firm, was out-spent by Marks, 48, an attorney from Westchase - $285,771 to $155,509 - enabling Marks' campaign to flood voters' mailboxes with negative mailers linking Overman to the liberal wing of county politics.

Also in the race was Kim "KLARC" O'Connor, who finished a distant third with about 2 percent.

In the other two County Commission races, incumbent Republicans Ken Hagan in District 2, which covers northern and east-central Hillsborough County, and Stacy White in District 4, which encompasses much of the eastern part of the county, appeared ready to win, but Hagan's race was closer than expected.

Hagan, 51, who has served on the commission since 2002, ran a quiet campaign. A leader of the effort to bring the Tampa Bay Rays to Ybor City, Hagan was defeating political novice Angela Birdsong, 58, by a 52-48 margin with 98 out of 106 precincts reporting. The close result came despite Hagan's $555,349 campaign war chest - more than 15 times the $33,846 Birdsong raised.

White, 46, elected to the commission in 2014 after a Hillsborough School Board term, was viewed as a strong favorite to retain the mostly rural and suburban seat where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 11,000.

White was defeating first-time candidate Andrew Davis, 36, by a comfortable 58-42 margin with 87 of 99 precincts reporting.County commissioners serve a four-year term and are paid $99,997.

With early voting and some mail-in ballots counted, and 101 of 106 precincts reporting, GOP incumbent Ken Hagan has almost certainly beaten novice Angela Birdsong. The 53-47 percent margin has widened since the early vote totals were announced.

Hagan had been expected to win easily over Birdsong, a first-time candidate who raised far less money.

TAMPA : Ken Hagan appears headed to victory in a Hillsborough County Commission race that was expected by many over untested Democrat Angela Birdsong.

Hagan, 51, has served on the County Commission since 2002. Term-limited in his countywide seat, he shifted to run in District 2, which covers northern and east-central Hillsborough County, including Citrus Park, Lutz and Brandon.

Birdsong, 58, was a first-time candidate who had been recruited by Ruth's List, a pro-choice, progressive group that seeks out strong women candidates for political office.

The district's 226,370 voters lean slightly Democratic with a sizable number of non-party affiliated voters.

Hagan has been the public official leading the charge to bring the Tampa Bay Rays to Ybor City.- Birdsong made an issue of his leadership on the commission,-saying county taxpayers had better priorities for their tax dollars.

As in many of the County Commission races, how to solve the county's transportation woes was an issue in District 2, although the two candidates never debated. -Hagan never took a public position on the one-penny sales tax increase for transit upgrades. Birdsong strongly supported it.

District 2 has been represented by term-limited Commissioner Victor Crist, who chose to run for a countywide seat. Crist lost to Democrat Mariella Smith.

For the first time since Hagan's first term on the board, he will be a member of a minority party.

"I ran on my record and I have asked the citizens of District 4 for another term,"-White said. " I think the citizens have spoken and they are happy with my job performance."

White, who was elected to the commission in 2014 after a four-year stint as a Hillsborough School Board member, was viewed as a strong favorite to retain the mostly rural and suburban seat where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 11,000.

White, 46, had a significant fundraising advantage, too, with more than $222,000 in contributions including the backing of-developers, law firms and financial institutions.

He touted himself as a fiscal conservative who would preserve quality of life for residents. He publicly opposed the transportation sales tax initiative.

With Democrats focusing on two commission countywide seats, Davis, 36, was able to raise only about $10,700.

A service adviser for an auto-repair shop, Davis hoped to make the election about sprawl. On the campaign trail, he repeatedly criticized White and the county for what he called irresponsible land development decisions to placate developers.

"Unfortunately, we'll have another four years of someone who is in the pocket of developers and who will stand up to the LGBT community," Davis said. "I am not going to stop being a thorn in his side. "

Republican state Rep. Kathleen Peters cruised to victory in the lone contested race for the Pinellas County Commission on Tuesday.

Unofficial results show that Peters 57, of South Pasadena, won 60 percent of the vote over Amy Kedron, 42, a former college instructor from St. Petersburg.

"I can't thank my supporters and volunteers enough for helping me to victory tonight," Peters said from a celebration at a Treasure Island restaurant. "I look forward to continuing Commissioner John Morroni's legacy of collaborative bipartisanship on the Pinellas County Commission."

Her dislike of partisan politics in Tallahassee put her at odds with the House Republican leaders.

She never backed away from challenging leadership, regardless of consequences. She opposed House Speaker Richard Corcoran's efforts to dismantle Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida, and she challenged how Corcoran and other lawyers in the Legislature work for firms that lobby.

Corcoran removed her as chairwoman of a subcommittee, relocated her to a fourth-floor office next to a Democrat, then isolated her at the end of a row next to two vacant seats to be filled by new lawmakers.

When St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman failed to properly notify residents of sewage spills, Peters helped pass legislation that now requires the public to be notified within 24 hours of a discharge.

Besides working to keep taxes low and help recruit businesses and jobs, her goal is to create a coordinated system of care for the mentally ill and those battling addiction problems because both issues often intersect, she said.

In the House, Peters-became an authority on mental health by visiting prisons, mental hospitals and judges. She said that resonates with voters because so many families struggle with those issues.

"My main focus will continue to be mental health and addiction treatment to help suffering Pinellas families," Peters said Tuesday.

With early voting and some mail ballots counted, plus 373 of 390 precincts reporting, Democrat Kimberly Overman was almost certain to best GOP's Todd Marks by a margin of 53-45.

The-race, along with a bid by Democrat Mariella Smith in another countywide contest, will determine whether Democrats can take control of the County Commission for the first time since 2004. It now looks likely.

"It's overwhelming and wonderful," Overman said of the new Democratic majority.

TAMPA : With nearly all the vote counted, Democrat Kimberly Overman was leading GOP candidate Todd Marks by a wide margin in one of two crucial races for Democrats hoping to return to a County Commission majority for the first time since 2004.

Overman, the 60-year-old owner of a financial planning firm, was one of two candidates upon whom party officials had pinned their hopes to gain a Democratic majority on the seven-member commission along with Mariella Smith in District, 5, the other countywide seat up for grabs.

"Well, it's about time," Overman said. "Clearly, we needed some balance on the board."

Marks, a Republican, raised more money than Overman : $285,771 to $155,509 : enabling his campaign to flood voters' mailboxes with negative mailers linking her to the liberal wing of county politics.

Marks, 48, a Westchase attorney, sought to highlight his opposition to the penny sales tax increase for transportation upgrades, a citizen initiative supported by Overman.

He assessed his loss as part of a Democratic wave. He said he was proud of his effort, but "it's hard to overcome such a groundswell."

"Countywide is a tough animal. Hillsborough is becoming more and more consistently Democrat," Marks said.

Overman emphasized the need for better county planning, especially to contain urban sprawl in Hillsborough, the state's fourth most populous county.

In a political cycle dominated by national and state races, county commission candidates struggled to grab voters' attention. Overman and Marks had few opportunities to debate.

Countywide, voters registered as Democrats outnumber Republicans by 65,443 with a total of 862,724- while non-party affiliated voters form a potent block of 246,565.

The countywide seat, being vacated by retiring Commissioner Al Higginbotham, pays a salary of $99,997.

Residents voted down changing the government into a strong mayor system like Tampa and St. Petersburg by 59 percent of 42,053 total votes.

A referendum spearheaded by business advocates to transform Clearwater's government was resoundingly rejected by residents on Tuesday, with nearly 60 percent voting down the change to the City Charter.

The vote provided an answer to a question floated for decades but never pursued until earlier this year when a group tied to the Clearwater Downtown Partnership proposed a strong mayor could awaken the city in ways a city manager cannot.

About 59 percent of the 42,053 total voters rejected the referendum, according to unofficial results, with all precincts counted. The change would have in 2020 eliminated the city manager, an appointed professional who implements policy of the five-member City Council, and given daily authority to the mayor, who would not have been a member of the council body.

"The proponents said they wanted to have a community conversation and they wanted to give voters an option of going to a strong mayor system," said Beth Rawlins, chair of the No Boss Mayor opposition group. "The margin is definitive. The voters of Clearwater have spoken."

The No Boss Mayor political action committee ran a largely grassroots opposition, with no TV advertising but a contingent of volunteers who waved signs, knocked on doors and helped spread the message against changing the government.

About 90 percent of the PAC's $92,096 raised came from the International City/County Management Association, a national trade group that supports professional local government.

Accountable Government, the PAC pushing the strong mayor referendum, raised $163,232, most of which came from real estate, business and development interests. The group, originally chaired by Clearwater Downtown Partnership Chair Matt Becker but later led by Zach Thorn, aired TV ads, mailers and had Vice Mayor Doreen Caudell and Council member David Allbritton as public advocates. Last week, the group sent misleading attack mailers claiming a no vote on the referendum would "put unelected bureaucrats with no term limits in charge.''

"While we believe an executive mayor form of government is a better option for the City, the voters have spoken and we look forward to continuing to work together with our friends, neighbors, and colleagues on both sides of this issue to build Clearwater's future," Becker said.

In forums and town halls leading up to Election Day, referendum supporters, including Pinellas County Commissioner Karen Seel, said a strong mayor could have given Clearwater regional clout and vitality seen in Tampa and St. Petersburg.

"I think it was a healthy exercise to be talking about change," Allbritton said. "There was lots of discussion, even though it got nasty from some people on both sides. ... People have spoken. They like what we have and we'll move forward."

Distrust from residents over changing the government structure in place for nearly 100 years appeared to have reigned.

Jimmy Walker, 57, a lifelong Clearwater resident, said the argument that a mayor with more power could have helped revitalize downtown Clearwater like Tampa and St. Petersburg is misplaced. Clearwater is working with a variable no other city has to: the Church of Scientology's international spiritual headquarters has a dominating footprint in downtown, making it hard for businesses to have the confidence to fill empty storefronts around it.

"I don't think the downtown is going to change at all because Scientology is here and they're not going anywhere," Walker said. "A strong mayor is not going to change that."

Mayor George Cretekos, a staunch opponent of the strong mayor system, said the results are "a grassroots victory."

"I hope all residents and others in the city will work together now within this preferred framework so we can continue to offer stable non-partisan and professional management," Cretekos said.

Incumbent Cheri Donohue took 30 percent of the vote and won a second four-year term on the Temple Terrace Council, a mostly voluntary position that pays $3,470 per year and $50 a month in travel expenses.

Donohue, 69,-said she was happy "that the citizens of Temple Terrace recognized that I have their best interests at heart."

She-said she was "thrilled" with the make-up of the new council and looks forward to working with Gil Schisler and James Chambers.

Schisler and-Chambers were elected with 26 and 23 percent of the vote, respectively, for-the other two open seats. The winners- will replace Council Members David Pogorlich and Robert Boss, who were term-limited after each serving-eight years on the council.

"I'm very elated, very proud," Schisler said. "It was a lot of hard work." He said he's eager to "work my platform, work out what I told people-I'm going to do."

Retired businessman and contractor Don Statz, 67, lost the contest. He had 21 percent of the vote.

More than 17,000 residents out of a city of 25,000 cast votes in the race.

Schisler, 64, a retired accountant and corporate chief financial officer, served on the city's advisory committee to the Temple Terrace Golf-&-Country Club and the Charter Review Committee. He was praised by City Manager Charles Stephenson for his help last year in clearing up problems in the city budget following a change in finance directors.

Chambers, 62, touted his knowledge of the city, having served his entire career in the parks and recreation department, retiring as director of Leisure Services.

Schisler and Statz supported the charter amendment changes - including a changing the government structure - which voters passed.-Donohue and Chambers opposed them. That appeared to be the main issue on which candidates disagreed. The candidates ran on what they would bring to the job and their records of service to the city.

The candidates agreed that the most pressing need is to sell off city-owned land in the downtown redevelopment area, which covers the east side of 56th Street from Bullard Parkway to the Hillsborough River. Money from the sale will be used to pay down the $23.5 million loan the city took out last decade to buy and improve the land.

Three developers have signed or plan to sign contracts to put in a bank, retail stores and luxury apartments.

The candidates all said that the city needs to raise the pay of its first responders, especially its police officers. The department is down a dozen positions.

Chambers said tax revenue from the downtown redevelopment area could be used to boost police pay and make the city competitive with cities of similar size. Schisler said it takes too long for Temple Terrace officers to rise to top salary. Statz said the city needs to find better insurance and better rates for the police.

Donohue said the city needs to stop cutting taxes : the council lowered the property tax rate for this fiscal year - when its workers lag behind in pay.

With all 13 precincts reporting, Temple Terrace voters approved all three charter amendments on the ballot, including one that changes the basic structure of government. That amendment-passed 53 percent to 47 percent.

By a much wider margin - 66 to 34 percent :voters favored an amendment-that would allow elected officials to find a way-around term limits.

The majority of Temple Terrace voters voted-to change the-structure of city government from five council members and a non-voting mayor to four council members and a mayor, all with the power to vote. The change would take place in the 2020 election.

They also favored-an amendment that would let a member of council or a mayor serve-indefinitely by serving two terms on the council, then two terms as mayor, then back to council and so on.

A third amendment to correct typos, grammar and update gender references without putting such minor changes to a vote passed 63 to 37 percent.

A- charter review committee recommended that the City Council put the-- proposed government change on the ballot. Joe Affronti, a former mayor and chairman of the committee, said the group had talked to past mayors who felt frustrated having no regular vote. Mayors can vote only to break a tie when a council member is absent. "You feel like you're just up there," Affronti said.

But "Vote No" signs popped up as here and there in-this-oak-shaded suburban city, putting in doubt the amendments' success.

"I'm in favor of allowing people to have a say in government, and I feel like the charter is limiting the opportunity to bring new people into the city government," said businessman and resident Ken Copenhaver.

He was concerned, too, about the second amendment, which would allow a council member to move to the mayor's spot then back to council again indefinitely.

"It puts you in a situation where if you have three people in agreement all the time, then those three people run the city government," Copenhaver said.

The four council candidates were evenly split on the first two amendments, though all supported the third.

Cheri Donohue, who won her race for re-election, opposed the charter changes, saying she thought the current system works well. James Chambers, also elected to council,-served on the charter review committee. He said he opposed the changes but was out-voted by other committee members.

Gil Schisler, another-candidate to win an open seat on council,-was a charter review committee member who favored-the changes. He had said-that citizens would still be represented by five voting members, and they had the power to vote anyone out of office.

Don Statz, who lost his bid for a council seat,-said he favored the charter changes because of conversations with past mayors.